


The Mistress Falls

by SilverHalos88



Series: Time Limited Love [8]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Ambush, Broken Hearts, Dark, Death, F/M, Had To Though, I'm Sorry, It Was All Coming To This, Laser/Sonic Screwdriver, Sad, The Vault (Doctor Who), climax, i didn't want to write this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:42:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29491500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverHalos88/pseuds/SilverHalos88
Summary: “The plan is ready. All the pieces are in place and finally, the Doctor and Missy are ready to cheat time and save their love from being shredded by their rapidly approaching regenerations. Yet unknown to them, the forces that would see them fail have also been preparing and now, they are ready to strike. As choices are made and consequences faced, a harsh truth presents itself – that there may be some things you just can’t avoid, no matter how hard you fight it…”This is the eight part of my ongoing 12th Doctor/Missy story which sees them as an established couple trying to keep their relationship alive in spite of seemingly overwhelming forces trying to stop them. In this part everything comes to a head. I broke this one up into chapters because its a bit longer than my other parts. It’s going to be emotional, so buckle up, and I'm sorry for any broken hearts haha… Also thank you for the comments, I thrive on them. They keep me going :D
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor/Missy
Series: Time Limited Love [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2103555
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Missy rolled around in her bed, unable to sleep.  
The room the TARDIS had made for her was exactly how she wanted it. It looked every bit like a mad scientist’s laboratory with a bed and some other furniture thrown about the place. It was organised chaos, and she loved every part of it, even if the Doctor had flat out refused her access to any raw materials. He had gone so far as to make the TARDIS promise to enforce the ruling, one he had made when he had first decided to break the rules of the vault and go travelling with her all those decades ago. She had earned a lot of his trust since then, but in the end she had found herself agreeing with his ruling. Some things were just too tempting, even now, and even she had startled herself with how easy it was to make a death ray or a plasma bomb. Even without her toys the room normally felt like a safe haven though, and besides she always had her secret projects back in the vault. Yet no matter much she looked around the room, no matter how much she twisted and willed her mind to quieten, there was just one thought that just wouldn’t die.   
The scenes she had claimed from the Doctor’s memories.  
It had been an easy enough process when he had shared what he had seen when he had looked into the future, gathering all the details he could on their upcoming regenerations. Like copying files from one computer to another really, though in truth the psychic link between their minds made it far easier. The Doctor had been focused on their regenerations, on how to get around it, and rightly so. Here, alone in her room, she could freely admit how terrifying the idea was. Terror wasn’t usually a feeling she was accustomed too, or at least not being on this end of it. Since her efforts to change though, she had stripped away all the armour and defences that stopped all of her previous lives from really having to face the fear that had been with her ever since she was a child and had realised she and the Doctor were on different paths. Even then she had wanted to follow him, but had been unable to fight what fate had prepared for her. In the end she had gleefully walked the path of a murderous monster. It had taken her a long time to realise just how much she didn’t want that, though even that wasn’t really the truth. The truth was she was too far gone. There would always be a side of her that ached for the complete freedom that came from letting go of any concept of morality. She just didn’t want that side of her to be in control anymore, to be her default position like it had been for so long. And that was why what she had seen had scared her in a way even death couldn’t. The Doctor hadn’t seen it, or maybe he had chosen not to mention it or focus on it, but for her it was a glaring beacon that couldn’t be ignored. In the end she had given in. She had failed. The scenes stolen from the future hadn’t given all the details: to obtain them it would have cost the Doctor more of his energy then he could afford. If he had, he would have regenerated right there and then in the middle of the Allsight chamber. But what he had seen had been clear enough, at least for her. She had left him in the moment of his greatest need. She had turned her back and walked away, and had died alone because of it.  
She had given up on their love.  
That terrified her more than anything.  
With no other ideas, Missy kicked off the covers and headed for the door. It took her less than a minute to find the Doctor’s room, the TARDIS helping her out by effortlessly moving rooms around. She knocked on the door.   
“Missy, what’s up?” The Doctor said slowly as he opened the door a few moments later. “I thought you wanted your own space?”  
“I changed my mind. Can I come in?” She asked, her voice soft and threatening to be lost in the length of the corridor. The Doctor nodded and stood aside. Missy instantly moved to his bed. They often slept in the same bed, but sometimes she just felt the need to wrap up in the covers of her queen-sized bed all by herself. The Doctor’s bed was smaller, but that also meant it was cosier. She could do with cosy right now. Kicking off her slippers and wearing only the Doctor’s oversized hoodie, she crawled into his bed. The Doctor joined her.  
“Are you ok?” He asked, scooting up next to her.  
“Can’t sleep.” She said bluntly, thankful that he was being the big spoon. Looking at him would make it worse. He seemed to sense that something was amiss.  
“It’s ok. We don’t have to talk. Just cuddle.” He said, holding her tighter, resting his cheek on her back.   
“Thank you.” She said. Already the rapid beating of her hearts were slowing, but she still didn’t feel like closing her eyes just yet. She wanted to enjoy the closeness for as much as she could. Something told her it wouldn’t last much longer.

“Well back in the box I go. Where she stops, nobody knows. Wait wrong box. But still, home sweet home and all that nonsense.” Missy said as she entered the central containment area at the heart of the vault. She stood motionless as the door slide shut and locked tightly. The Doctor stared at her through the glass, a conflicted look on his face. In his hearts he wanted to believe that she was ready to be without all the security, but the bitter fact of the matter was that it was still too soon. Despite how far they had come together, he knew how often Missy found herself on a knife edge. Keeping up the routine was a way of helping her to keep on her path, a way of reinforcing all the new ideas that were still so delicate.   
“Are you going to be ok?” He asked, placing his hand on the glass. Missy stood like an elegant statue, putting on her best face of indifference.  
“Of course dear, the vault and I are like old friends now. Besides, it’ll be nice to have some alone time, you’ve been very clingy lately. Might want to work on that.” Missy grinned. The Doctor laughed.  
“Fair enough. Just don’t blow anything up with that.” He said, nodding to the table in the containment area. On it was the laser/sonic screwdriver Missy had been building as a gift for him. She had recently gotten the laser module working, though it had proved temperamental; they had already seen one of the sofas turn to ash, much to Missy’s amusement.  
“Aw, that’s no fun. Fine, I guess I’ll just have to make do with my other project.” She sighed with mock disappointment as her eyes fell on the still unfinished Elysian Field generator device. Finishing that had become less of a priority as the neural interfaces neared completion, but now it would receive her full attention. There was still more than enough time before their regenerations to finish it. In fact, she knew she would, thanks to the future visions she had seen.   
“I’m going to run one last series of checks on the neural interfaces. They look beautiful, but its worth the extra caution.” The Doctor said as he stepped back and slowly, reluctantly, headed for the door. The door to the central containment area would unlock a few moments after the locks on the main door engaged. Missy blew him a kiss and smiled, watching as he left. It was only after the door closed that the smile fell from her face, and she allowed the sadness she had been hiding show. She collapsed onto the old bed that filled one side of the containment area and sighed. The door was already unlocked, but she made no move for it. No, she thought, not yet. She was quite comfortable here, behind the layers of reinforced walls and armoured glass. With nothing else to do, she crossed over to the table, sat down, and picked up the hybrid screwdriver. Humming to herself, she got to work. She never noticed the almost microscopic camera in the corner of the area.

Nardole leant back in his chair, frowning. Before him a bank of screens showed every part of the vault. The cameras were incredibly small, and had been easy enough to install once he had made the decision to do so. For a long time he had resisted the urge to use any kind of surveillance equipment in the vault. There was the potential that any link that broke the seal, no matter how small, could be turned into something Missy could use to organize an escape. Now that he had discovered that the Doctor had been taking her out almost at her own desire, it didn’t really matter. If she had a plan, and of course she did, it would be well into effect by now, and it wouldn’t matter if he broke the seals just a little. And the payoff was well worth it.   
He had been watching both the Doctor and Missy for weeks now. He felt incredibly bad about it, but it had to be done. He believed that with every part of his being. As soon as he had found out about Missy’s impromptu freedom he had gone back and studied the records of her history. He had thought he had known most of it, but there was so much more, so much hidden throughout the eras of time and space. There were things that were certain and known, and things that were most likely attributed to her. The funny thing was, he wasn’t sure which one was the more terrifying. Some the stuff that was theorized to be her actions were like something from scary ancient myths, apocalyptic tales that often ended in the destruction of entire planets. She was certainly capable of such acts, but even with her reputation, to do so on such a scale was something that made his blood run cold. He knew she was the Doctor’s oldest friend, but Nardole struggled to understand how he could forgive her. But then…  
No. He couldn’t let himself consider anything else. The Shadow Proclamation were relying on him. He had been in periodic contact with them ever since he had reached out and informed them of what was going on here beneath St Luke’s university. His stomach was still twisted in knots over that, and he knew he had sacrificed a part of himself in betraying the Doctor’s trust. It had to be done though, he kept repeating to himself. For the good of the universe. The Proclamation had informed him to keep them up to date as they prepared for their final operation. They had changed tact this time round, though their countless forces still hounded Missy and the Doctor as they jumped over time. Instead of rushing in, the commanders were taking their time, most likely so they could cover every angle, Nardole suspected. All he had to do was watch and send them updates when he could, and then be ready when the time came. He promised himself, and had promised River, that he would keep the Doctor safe, even if that meant keeping him safe from himself. It was going to break his hearts when the betrayal came to light. Nardole didn’t want to think about it. He had done the right thing. In his time watching the screens he had seen a lot of things that had confirmed his suspicions. She was building weapons and forbidden technologies. She was always planning, even going so far as to pull the Doctor into their discussions. Nardole was no Timelord, but he had a basic understanding of some of the rules of time, and it was that which made him most concerned. By all accounts it seemed as if the pair were about to go rogue, to take time into their own hands. He didn’t know to what ends they were aiming for, but it wouldn’t be good. It couldn’t be. And the Doctor he knew would never run the risk of unleashing the chaos that could come from these sorts of acts. What was he thinking? Nardole shock his head, not wanting to thinking about what might happen if the Doctor had truly fallen. It had to be done, he repeated again.  
But then there were the over things he had seen.   
There were all the times they had just spent time together for no other reason than that they enjoyed each other’s company. The times they had laughed and held each other, the times Missy would stare longingly at the door of vault for hours after the Doctor had left. There were the hours they had spent working together without so much as a cross look, or the times they had cuddled up on the sofa or the bed like they were love struck teenagers. Even more astonishing, there were the dozens of times they had been in the TARDIS together. Nardole had no idea where they went most of the time; the Doctor had gone off without him for the majority of their trips, perhaps as a punishment for his views on his relationship. Now he only got to travel when Bill came along. It hadn’t been long for Bill to figure out what was going on between the Doctor and Missy. She was actually all for it, much to Nardole’s bewilderment. He would openly admit he was struggling to understand her enthusiasm, though that was only part of the puzzle. What he found most interesting, most challenging, was the fact that every time they had gone in the TARDIS, Missy had always come back. She had come back. That went against every idea or notion of escape. She could have gone anywhere, especially now that their secret was out. The Doctor even trusted her enough to let her go in the TARDIS alone. Alone! He could hardly believe it. Yet here she remained. All his senses reported that she hadn’t snuck off, hadn’t used any temporal displacement strategies. Of course, that meant nothing. Missy was smart enough to get around any sensor he could make. But when he combined those facts with the behaviour he had seen from her, the behaviour he had seen from the Doctor…   
No, he couldn’t allow himself to think this way, to even allow it into his mind. Missy was dangerous, the Doctor was acting dangerous, this whole situation was dangerous. The stakes were just too high. If there was even the chance, the possibility, that this was a trap or a trick, he had to treat it as a certainty and take the proper precautions. Even if it meant twisting his gut into knots over the betrayal of it all. That was the cost he had to pay, but as he sat watching the monitors, the annoying squeaky voice in the back of his mind couldn’t help wonder if it was even a price that needed to be paid at all.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor looked carefully over the surgical kit that was laid out on the table.   
There were almost two dozen different instruments, ranging from the instantly recognisable usual human tools to items that looked distinctly alien. Along side them was a mountain of bandages, wipes and other supplies, while on the next table over was an equally huge collection of drugs and serums. To put simply, it was overkill. The TARDIS had insisted the Doctor take the kit and supplies with him; it literally wouldn’t let him out the door without the items in hand. He couldn’t help but share her worry. This was the moment they had been working towards for a long time now, and he found himself bouncing around with a nervous energy, like lightning caught in a bottle. He picked up one of the tools, one that looked like a cross between a gun and a syringe. The nano injector was the only thing they really needed to place the neural interfaces into the cores of their brains. The procedure was simple enough; a quick prick of pain at their temples, then a few moments of keeping perfectly still as the infector placed the small device. Once in the place, the biological aspects of the interfaces would engage, wiring themselves into every part of their brains, practically indistinguishable from their normal cells. There, the devices would begin recording brain waves and neuron communications, creating a snapshot recording of who they were. After their regenerations, this recording would be used to reboot their personalities, bringing back their old minds, effectively giving them another life, another chance, to continue the relationship they had already fought so hard for. Something like this had never been tried before, but by all his calculations it should work. No, he told himself firmly, it would work. Of course it was going to work. He picked up one of the vials that held the first interface and held it against the light. He couldn’t see it, just the gel suspension matrix, but he still slowly rotated it.  
“Careful, if you stare at it too much it’ll evaporate.” Came Missy’s voice from behind him. He placed the vial back on the counter and turned around. She was sitting on the sofa, poised and pristine like a typical Victorian lady, with her legs crossed, back straight, and hands clasped on her knees. She was watching him intently.  
“Is that some kind of innuendo, because I don’t get it.” The Doctor said as he looked at her, smiling as she shrugged.   
“You probably think everything is innuendo. Do aliens even have sex?” A husky voice came from across the room. The Doctor turned.  
There, walking back from the door and towards them, was Bill, closely followed by a subdued looking Nardole.   
The young student smiled brightly as she crossed over to the sofa, completely fearless. She sat down next to Missy while Nardole sat on one of the fold-out chairs, looking completely out of place.   
“Yes we have sex. Sometimes its even good. Sometimes its excellent.” Missy said coyly with a teasing wink, one that made the Doctor turn red slightly. Bill laughed.   
“Oh you’re great. Do you keep all the funny ones in your weird dungeon box thing?” Bill asked as she helped Missy pin back a stray strand of hair.   
“Not the funny ones, just the dangerous ones. There’s a reason they call me a monster.” Missy said, making her voice dark and full of threat. Bill looked at her and blinked a few times. Then she smiled.  
“Does that mean you’re the one who calls all the shots when we’re not around? I bet you do. He has this air of authority all the time but I swear he just makes it up half the time.” Bill said, glancing at the Doctor. He held up a finger to say something, but Missy beat him to it.  
“Oh I like this one. I’ll eat you last. Now run along sweetie, the adults have to play.” With that Missy waved Bill away, smiling at her in a way that seemed to show genuine fondness. The Doctor took her place on the sofa, sitting on the edge. He shook his head.  
“I’m getting out numbered.” He said with a tired sigh.   
“Well there’s always next time, come join the club.” Missy said as she turned to face him. She saw the vials of clear liquid and the small cloth in his hand. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”  
“Don’t worry, its just alcohol to clean your skin. There’s no rush.” He said as he reached up and wiped the side of her head. His hands lingered, touching her cheek.  
“No no, lets get this done. We’ve spent to much time worrying already.” She said, and for a brief moment a flicker of fear crossed her eyes. The Doctor smiled warmly.   
“We’ll be fine. I’m not going to lose you.” He said quietly, then placed the bottle and swab aside. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. “I promise. Whatever it takes.”  
“There are some promises you shouldn’t make.” She said simply as her eyes dropped low. The Doctor reached up and touched her chin, lifting her head up so she was looking at him. In that moment she was nothing other than a wide-eyed girl full of fear and doubt, and all he wanted was to hold her. He leaned in, slowly, his intent clear. Almost in unison, they closed their eyes as their foreheads met.  
The psychic link was like a quantum bond formed in the heart of a star.  
In the safety of their minds there was no need for strength or armour. There was just them, far away from the world and all the cruel realities that lived within it. They were able to communicate in a way that went beyond words, auras of energy, feelings and thought that took forms true to who they were and, perhaps more importantly, who they wanted to be. Here they were free.  
“Aw, they’re quite cute really, aren’t they?” Bill said quietly as she sat in another simple fold out chair next to Nardole, watching the Doctor and Missy. He turned and looked at her, both confusion and concern etched onto his face.  
“You really think so? It looks natural to you?” He asked, keeping his voice down. Bill frowned.   
“What, because they’re aliens they can’t show emotions? I’m sure that’s some kind of racism. Shame on you Nardole.” She said, pretending to be serious before smiling. Nardole rolled his eyes.   
“Oh very funny. I’m serious, you really think this is genuine?” He asked, his eyes narrowing. Bill looked at him, then at the pair on the sofa, then back to Nardole.  
“I’d say so. Look at them! They’re like love sick students. Trust me, I’ve seen enough of them.” Bill said confidently. Nardole’s frown deepened.  
“But she can’t be trusted. You’re lucky, you don’t know the things she’s done. There’s nothing she isn’t capable of, including a decades long con. All of this, all the hugs and kisses, it could all be part of some insidious plan.” He said, his eyes narrowing as he focused on Missy. She and the Doctor were still off in their own world.   
“Oh she can’t be that bad. I know I’ve only just found out about this whole secret relationship thing they’ve got going on, but come on, if its really been going on for years now you’d think something would have happened already. Look at them! They can’t get enough of each other.” She said, gesturing to emphasize her point. Nardole thought for a second, an intense look filling his eyes. Finally he sighed.   
“But what if what she is planning is to change him? To turn him into her?” He asked, his question hanging in the air for a moment as Bill considered his words. For a moment it seemed as if she was accepting his point, but then she shook her head.  
“You’re right, he has changed. He’s happier. You can see it in the way he carries himself. There’s a spring in his step and he always has that little smile on his face, even when he thinks no one is looking. Come on, you have to see that. And besides, the Doctor is too kind to be any kind of evil.” She said, gesturing with her hand. Nardole followed where she had pointed. She was right. The Doctor was smiling.   
“You really think that?” He asked. Bill smiled brightly and nodded.  
“Yeah man, they are in love.” She said, drawing out the word. “Have you ever seen him like this before?” She asked. It was Nardole’s time to smile.   
“Yes, once. With River. She was his wife. She died.” He said, his voice trailing off.  
“His wife?!” Bill asked as she spun to look at him. Nardole went to reply but instead remained silent as his eyes focused on the Doctor and Missy. They had finally parted, and the Doctor had crossed over to them.  
“Ok you two, we’re ready. You know what to do if this all goes wrong; use the suppressors and get us to the TARDIS. She’s already got medical bays on standby. The automatic programs will know what to do.” The Doctor said as he handed them both the tranquiliser guns. There was a risk, a tiny, miniscule chance, that the process of inserting the neural interfaces might trigger some kind of psychosis or rampage, which is why they were doing this inside the vault. They couldn’t risk a raging, hallucinating timelord having access to a time machine. Both Bill and Nardole nodded.  
“I’ve never shot someone before.” Bill said as she looked at the gun. It felt more like a toy than a medical device. The Doctor gave her his reassuring smile.  
“Don’t worry, it won’t come to that. Thank you for doing this, for being here. It means a lot.” He said, then turned to Nardole. “I know you don’t think this is right, but thank you Nardole for being here. I hope this will ease any of your doubts.”   
“Doctor, I…” Nardole said, his bottom lip quivering. For a moment it seemed like he was going to say something else, but then whatever thought or notion was in his mind was swept aside. Instead he held the tranquiliser firm and nodded. The Doctor stared at him for a moment longer, but then smiled and returned the nod. With everything ready, he returned to the table with the medical supplies and picked up the injector gun and the two vials that contained the interfaces. He took a deep breath, then turned and headed back to Missy.

The interface injector had been in the Doctor’s hand when the lights of the vault flickered repeatedly for a few moments.   
The Doctor froze, looking around. As he did a rumbling begun beneath the floor, quickly building until everything in the room was slightly shaking, even the walls themselves. That shouldn’t have been possible. The room was secured against almost all natural disasters. It would take the cracking of the planet to produce something like this, a fact that was ridiculous to think about. And yet, when he looked at Missy he saw she was thinking the same thing. Putting the vials and injector aside, he rushed to the vault’s door while Missy headed for the central containment area.   
“Doctor, what’s going on?” Bill asked as she wobbled on her feet. The Doctor didn’t say anything, but noticed the strangely calm look on Nardole’s face. There was no time for that right now though. Placing his hands on the handles, the Doctor pulled open the doors of the vault.  
A blast of icy air hit him, the kind of crispness that could only be found in high atmosphere.   
Being careful with his footing, he peaked out the doors and looked down. There below him was what remained of Bristol. It was little more than a collection of devastated and burning buildings. A blanket of fire stretched out in every direction, but that was nothing but a side attraction compared to the main show: Two massive cracks now cut deep into the Earth, one running roughly north to south while the other ran east to west. The cracks were massive and stretched for over a hundred miles, cutting so far down that the glow from the mantle now escaped into a raging atmosphere above, the atmosphere they were rapidly passing through. Already some areas of the cracks were collapsing, huge amounts of sea water crashing into the freshly cut depths and creating massive tsunamis. It was destruction on a biblical level. Millions were no doubt already dead, with more dying by the moment as the damage to the planet spread.   
The Doctor felt numb. He could barely feel the wind anymore as he stepped back from the edge. For a moment his arms hung lifelessly by his sides as the magnitude of what he had seen dawned on him. But then someone screamed. He went to close the doors, but a new rush of wind hit him, blowing him through the air and onto his back. Hit the floor of the vault and skidded, trying to stop himself, but his head bounced hard a few times. For a moment he was barely aware of the sound of feet rushing into the room, but then the urgency hit him. He forced himself to sit up, and came face to face with the dozens of jump-soldiers who had flooded into the room. He saw Bill standing with her hands held up in the air, and Nardole standing next to her, looking completely unsurprised. But no Missy. Where was Missy?   
“Put the weapon down!” A thunderous, commanding voice from near the entrance bellowed. The heavily armoured judoon general yelled the command again. The Doctor looked around, but the ringing in his ears was still competing with the horrendous images from the planet below for his attention. The vibration in the room suddenly stopped, and a light appeared in the doorway, but then the Doctor found himself being pulled to his feet by two soldiers. He snatched his arms away from their grasp just as the Shadow Architect came into view.  
“I’m sorry it had to come to this Doctor. But I did tell you we would stop you.” The enigmatic leader of the Shadow Proclamation said as she stopped before him. She was surrounded by guards, and her gaze was hard and determined.  
“You, you just murdered countless innocent people!” The Doctor shouted, taking a step towards her and causing the guards to extend their arms in front of him.   
“No Doctor! Their sacrifices are on your hands! Those lives needn’t have been lost if you had just cooperated with us in the first place!” The Architect snapped back. A tense look passed between them, but the Doctor didn’t back down.  
“You had no right, no right whatsoever, to cause the destruction you just unleashed!” He shouted.  
“I have every right! The Mistress is a threat to all the universe! Frankly one continent on one planet does not matter in the grand scheme of things. And once again Doctor, you are the one who put the quantum fold chamber on Earth. Responsibility for this lies with you. Now where is she?” The Architect said as she turned away, the judoon general joining her at her side as she ventured further into the room. The Doctor followed their path, his eyes fixing on Missy.  
On Missy, and the jump-soldier she was holding hostage.  
“Well well well, if it isn’t the self-entitled empress of justice, here to bless us with her presence. I’d bow, but I’m a little tied up right now.” Missy spat venomously as she peeked over the soldier’s shoulder. In her hand was the laser/sonic screwdriver. It wasn’t entirely finished yet, but as it was, it had more than enough power to vaporize a person.  
“By the authority of all the systems and people represented by the Shadow Proclamation, you are under arrest. I order you to surrender to our command instantly!” The Architect demanded, her voice booming through the room. Missy’s eyes narrowed, that deadly dark look in her eyes.   
“Oh look, she thinks she’s in charge of the situation. Do you have any idea how many ways I could kill you all? Even now, miles in the air caught in your suspension field. Hmmm, do you taste that? Your fear is exquisite.” Missy said, moving side to side behind the soldier as she pushed the screwdriver closer into his neck.   
“Your threats are empty and meaningless. We know all that you are capable of here. We have spent weeks preparing for this. There is nothing you can do to escape us now.” The Architect said confidently. She gave a wave of her hand to signal the other jump-soldiers to move closer. They had hardly taken a step when Missy fired a series of laser blasts from the screwdriver. Almost a dozen burning red beams exploded at the feet of soldiers all around the room as she and her hostage moved closer to the open central containment area.   
“Missy!” The Doctor shouted, though the soldiers at his side stopped him from getting any closer. The Architect glanced at him, then back to Missy as she started speaking again.  
“Don’t worry, just a warning shot. They won’t be that lucky next time.” Missy warned as she slowly moved, but then a thought came into her mind. “How did you find us anyway? The vault is meant to be completely hidden. Do a girl a favour and satisfy her curiosity before you kill her.”   
“You’re right, the vault was hidden. We would never have found it, if not for the actions of one who shares our commitment to justice.” The Architect said, then gestured to her side. “Step forward, reveal yourself. There’s no point in hiding now. Be proud of your accomplishments.”  
“Oh no, please no.” The Doctor said as he watched Nardole join the Architect’s side. He looked like he was carrying the weight of a planet on his shoulders, his head bowed and his mouth down turned.   
“I’m sorry Doctor. Truly, but this had to be done. She… I’m sorry.” Nardole said, finally forcing himself to match the Doctor’s gaze. The Doctor just looked at him, unmoving. His eyes were hollow, his mouth slightly open, as in his mind he put together all the pieces. He looked down at the floor, and shook his head a few times. When he looked back, there was a new look in his eyes, one that went beyond any rage or fury.  
It was disappointment.  
“Enough of this! No more games. Surrender now, or I will blast the vault to pieces.” The Architect declared. The Doctor snapped himself away from his pain and pushed past the soldiers guarding him again and jumped to her side.  
“No wait, please. Just please, give me a moment, just let me talk. Just a minute, just listen, please. Missy has changed, I can prove it. She’s better now, she won’t hurt anyone. Just give me time, you don’t have to do this, please.” The Doctor pleaded. The Architect actually looked at him. She saw all the emotion in his eyes, heard the sincerity in his voice, and for a moment it looked like she might actually come around to reason. But then her features hardened.  
“I’m sorry Doctor, I truly am. But there’s just too much at risk, and you are compromised. There’s no other option.” With that she turned back to Missy, who had positioned herself close to the entrance to the central containment area, close enough that it would be easier to dart inside if she wasn’t holding the soldier hostage. “Soldiers, prepare to fire!”   
“No!” The Doctor shouted.  
“Woah woah woah, can someone please explain to me what’s going on? I’m so confused and there’s a load of guns and its really frightening. So maybe we all take a breath for a moment and catch me up?” Bill suddenly asked, walking in between Missy and the other soldiers. She put on her best innocent face, but inside her mind was racing. She knew the situation was severe. All she could think of was to try and buy some time for the Doctor to figure something out. She took a step closer to Missy, hoping that another body would make the soldiers hesitate.   
“Oh its quite simple really. These jumped-up space police don’t like the idea of me and him coupling up. They’re afraid the big mean Mistress will turn him to the dark side, and then there’ll be nothing to stop me from going full evil genius. So they’ve been hunting us all over the place, being royally annoying honestly, so well done to them on that.” Missy explained. Bill shook her head.  
“All of this because they want to make out? Really? Don’t you have better things to do?” She asked, making Missy smile.  
“Exactly, thank you. Now cover your ears sweetie, this is going to get loud.” With that, Missy exploded into action. Lightning quick, she pushed the jump-soldier she had been holding hostage forward, firing the sonic/laser screwdriver into the power pack on his back. The resulting burst of light and sparks was all Missy needed to reach forward and grab Bill’s hand, pulling her into the containment area and sealing the door.   
“What the hell was that about?!” Bill asked as she caught her breath. Missy rolled her eyes.  
“They were going to shoot you sweetie, please try to keep up, can’t be explaining everything. Plus you make a better hostage. Now do be quiet for a moment. One of us has to do something useful.” Missy explained as she opened up the secret compartment in the floor and started searching through the tools and spare parts she had stashed away there. If she could just make some kind of knock out bomb…  
“What about those guys? What about the Doctor and…” Bill’s voice trailed off before she could mention Nardole. Missy glanced back at her.  
“Don’t worry, these windows and very very strong. They would need very powerful weapons to get through them.”   
“Weapons that look like that?” Bill asked with unmasked fear. Missy snapped her head up in time to see a handful of the jump-soldiers setting up a large turret-like laser blaster. A wave of alarm shot up her spine as she recognised the hyper velocity magna turret. Nardole had told them everything. Bastard.   
“Get down!” Missy shouted as the first rounds smashed through the glass. With splintering shards of glass flying all around them, Missy bounced to her feet and slammed into Bill, throwing them both to the ground as the air above them filled with chaos. It only took a few seconds for all the glass walls to be reduced to nothing more than jagged shards jutting out from the top and bottom of the frame. It was like the razor teeth of some demonic beast.  
“Stop!” The Doctor shouted, and a second later the firing ceased, an eerie silence filling the void in the room. “Missy! Bill!”  
There was the sound of a cough.   
Inside the remains of the containment area, Missy rolled to her side. She instantly regretted it. The pain was incredible, shooting through her side as surely as if someone had poured acid through her veins. She looked down, and realised she hadn’t been fast enough. A number of the rounds had torn into her. Her armoured corset had taken much of the blow, but couldn’t stop them entirely, and the force of the impacts had opened up her old wounds, the ones from the attack on her beach. It hurt so much, for a moment all she could do was force herself to suck in a breath. Then she bit her lip as she run her hands over herself, studying the damage. She could already feel the blood seeping over her hands, but as she forced herself to focus she realised she had gotten lucky; the injuries weren’t fatal. At least not yet. A new sound from her side caught her attention. She looked, and was greeted with a sight that made her turn cold.  
Bill was holding her stomach with both hands, but even that couldn’t hide the dozen or so blaster holes that peppered her torso. There was so much blood.   
“Missy, I…” Bill muttered, her voice weak and lips trembling. She was in shock, her eyes wide with a mortal terror. Momentarily forgetting her own pain, she pushed down on Bill’s wounds, trying to stem the flow of blood. It made little difference.  
“Just breath child, stay awake.” Missy said, searching for anything she could use to help. There was nothing.  
“You, you tried to save me.” Bill muttered as her body started to shiver uncontrollably. Missy took her hand and held it. There was no fighting the inevitable now. All she could do was be there.  
“Yes, I like you. Its ok. It won’t hurt soon.” Missy said as soothingly as she could manage. Bill smiled at her, but the moment was fleeting. There was a burst of something, a final beat of the heart and a last, desperate gasp of breath. Then she was gone. Bill was dead.  
Missy reached up and closed the girl’s eyes, feeling numb. She had seen death before, been its cause countless times, but she couldn’t remember the last time it had hit like this. Her hearts were beating hard, thumping against the wall of her chest, filled with a pain that had nothing to do with the wounds in her side. She wanted to cry and rage at the same time, to expel all these awful emotions that had infected her so much. But she didn’t. Instead she held them tight, pulled them close, using their strength to push away the physical pain and climb to her feet. She had hardly even known the girl, but that didn’t matter. She didn’t deserve this.   
“Missy…” The Doctor muttered as he saw her rise up from the wreckage of the central containment area, covered in blood and with the laser/sonic screwdriver in her hand. A look of thunder sat on her face, but her eyes carried the sting of lost that meant only one thing.  
“I’m sorry, Doctor.” Missy said as the jump-soldiers aimed their weapons at her. The Doctor shook his head, as if he could force away the truth. Yet nothing would take the sting out of this moment. He started for the containment area, not caring about those around him, not even for the shocked look on Nardole’s face.  
“Not another step, Doctor!” The Architect shouted. When the Doctor paid no attention to her she gave a nod. One of the soldiers stepped forward and struck the Doctor in his stomach, causing him to drop to his knees. “I said halt! You may yet live to see another day. Would you really give your life for them?”   
“You don’t know me at all, do you?” The Doctor spat at her, standing up.   
That was it.   
That was the trigger Missy had been waiting to hear, though she hadn’t known it until that exact moment. She stood and stared at the Doctor. Everything else seemed to fade into a blur until it was just him and her. The clarity was like ice, sharper than any of the shards of broken glass surrounding her. He met her gaze, his eyes, his big sad eyes that for so long had been the only ones capable of seeing through her armour, filled with confusion as he saw the look on her face. The smile she gave him was sad, one filled with longing for a lifetime that would never come, and an anger for ever allowing herself to hope for it. But there was still something she could do. She nodded, then the smile vanished, replaced by one of her dark battle masks.   
“Alright, you got me. Well done, pat on the back for you.” Missy said loudly, theatrically strutting about the inside of the containment area as she spoke. “Me, the one and only, the superb and magnificent, Mistress. Oh there’s that name again, the one that makes you all shudder with fear. And you’re right to do so. You are nothing but ants to me. Actually ants would be a compliment. At least I pause before I crush them.”  
“Missy what are you doing?” The Doctor asked, his mind already fearing where this would go. She turned on him, like a furious cobra bearing its fangs.  
“We had a good run Doctor, really we did. But it was always coming to this. You and I both know that. It’s as inevitable as the collapse of a star. So hey, why not roll with it? Your way isn’t working out, so to hell with it, back to what I do best. Oh how I can almost hear the serenading screams to come already.” She said with a huge, malicious grin as she twirled the hybrid screwdriver around like she was conducting an invisible orchestra.  
“Don’t do this Missy, please. Don’t give in to them.” The Doctor begged of her, but Missy just gave a bitter laugh.  
“Oh I’m not Doctor, I’m really not. I’m giving in to me, no, not giving in. I’m returning to my true glory, before all this nonsense. It was nice, all our time together, really, but let’s be honest we were always fooling ourselves. Don’t you see, Doctor? Don’t you understand?” Missy said, as if he were child struggling to understand a basic idea. She turned on the spot, pointing her screwdriver at everyone in the room. When she looked back to the Doctor, her mask had slipped just a little, just enough for the smallest piece of truth to slip out.  
“What dreams I once had, Doctor. You and I were going to touch all the stars in the sky, but dreams die hard. I thought I could change. I tried, I really did. I want you to know that. But there are just some things you can’t get away from. There are some marks that stain too deeply, some tarnishes that you just can’t scrub away. Oh Doctor, why did you do this to me? Why did you offer me this hope? Do you understand what its like? Can you even fathom it? I am not this ever-changing visage of faces, this masquerade of identities. I am the sins that I have lived, and that, that maleficence has grown to consume my soul. The image of the good person you were helping me to create, it was nothing more than another mask, another false face to hide the darkness behind. I am not that person; I don’t think I ever could be. We could run, we could hide, we could stay in the shadows and try to ignore that fact, but there are those who will never forgot, and will never allow us to forget it. All my mistakes, all my horrors, all my regrets, they are a rope that follows me wherever I go, and the now the noose it tightening. And the truth, the horrible bittersweet truth my dear darling Doctor, is that this was always going to happen. This was a day that was assigned to the hands of fate from my very first breath. And I’ve always known it. So did you, I imagine, but perhaps you were able to push it down or hoped you could change things. There’s that horrible word again. Either way it made it easier to fool you Doctor, to make you believe I was more than I ever could be. But now the story is coming to an end, and its time we played the roles we were always destined to fulfil. It’s time to accept that this glorious, foolishly ambitious experiment is over. We were never going to be able to be together, and as that dream dies all that is left is to return to the status quo, and to see it to its inevitable bloody end. You are the hero, Doctor, the saviour of countless worlds. You will live past this day and go on to see all the stars. Your story will continue and lead you far from here, and all this will fade to just a cloudy memory. And I, I’ll be the tyrant I always was, the timeless child’s monster that strikes out from the dark. I will be your villain, Doctor, just as it was always meant to be, just as the universe will always know me to be. I am the Mistress!” Missy shouted with a triumphant voice that was full of pride and defiance. But then her voice dropped to a whisper, an almost silent hiss that was meant for only one person. “And I am sorry.”  
The blasts from the laser/sonic screwdriver filled the room in an instant.  
Missy laughed manically as she fired blast after blast at the jump-soldiers, floating around the ruined central containment area like a mad ballerina, her words lost to the storm of chaos she was unleashing. The soldiers responded exactly as they had been trained. For a moment the vault was filled with the sound of blaster exchange.   
Then it was over.  
Missy collapsed to the floor of the central containment area, the hybrid screwdriver falling out of her lifeless hand. There was no final gasp of breath, no last witty remark; her body was too torn and shattered for any such acts. The only thing that marked her passing was a single tear that rolled down her cheek as her eyes grew wide but didn’t flicker close. Then she was gone.   
The Mistress had finally fallen.


	3. Chapter 3

“You will come with us for the time being Doctor. We are going to time lock this entire series of events. Our technology isn’t as sophisticated as that of your people, but it will suffice. There will be questions and… other things. The rage of the oncoming storm must be tempered before we let you free again. The Shadow Proclamation and the people we represent do not deserve the rage of your grief.” The Shadow Architect said as behind her, a jump-soldier activated the stasis field on the suspension tube that now contained Missy’s body. In the background, three soldiers were preparing another tube for Bill’s body. The Doctor didn’t say anything. He just stared at the tube, as silent as statue. The Architect sighed.  
“For what its worth, I am sorry it came to this. The whole thing has been a terrible affair. I’ll let you have a moment.” The Architect said. She gave him an uncertain look, then stepped out of the vault. The Doctor remained still, looking at the suspension tube. The room was slowly emptying now, the jump-soldiers securing and scurrying away anything that might be a danger or useful as evidence. Many of them wore fresh scorch marks on their armour, though none of them had died. In her last moments, Missy had reduced the power of the laser/sonic screwdriver. She had stayed true to her path, even as she had died. The soldiers seemingly paid little attention to the Doctor and the tube, though it was obvious someone was always watching them both. The Doctor didn’t care. Right now he was finding it hard to do much of anything. He barely even noticed when Nardole came and stood next to him.  
“There’s nothing I can say to change anything.” Nardole said softly. The Doctor’s eyes flickered at him for a moment but he remained quiet. Nardole didn’t blame him. What did you say to someone who had betrayed you in such an intimate way? What did you say to the person responsible for the death of two of the people closest to you? Nardole wasn’t sure there even were words for it.   
“I know you’re not going to talk. Maybe you can’t. But I hope you’ll listen. I saw what Missy did, how she tried to save Bill. I hadn’t expected that. I hadn’t expected a lot of things.” Nardole’s voice trailed off as he tried to get his thoughts in order. Ever since the Shadow Proclamation had arrived the doubts he had been having about his actions had been pushed to the forefront of his mind. He had thought about his conversation with Bill, had thought about all the things he had seen, all the love the Doctor and Missy had shared. It had only been when Missy had sacrificed herself to stop the Doctor from laying down his life to try and save her that Nardole had come to accept the truth he had long feared: It was real, it was all real. They were truly in love. Somehow out all the possibilities their time together could have produced, they had stumbled into the rarest, the one that had changed them both for the better. And he had taken that away.  
“Doctor, I was wrong. I should have listened to you, I should have given it more time. I thought I was doing the right thing. That’s the only justification I have, but I know that means nothing now. For what its worth, I’m sorry.” Nardole said. Even to him it sounded hollow, but he had to get the words out.  
“Thank you.” The Doctor said without looking at him. Nardole nodded, and for a few seconds didn’t say anything. Then he looked around, making sure none of the soldiers were paying close attention, or at least not close enough to spot what he had in mind.  
“So, I guess this is one of those moments in history where everything changes, huh? I bet you wish you could go and make some changes of your own, right? If only you could get to the TARDIS.” Nardole said as he casually pulled something from his pocket, took a sidestep closer to the Doctor, and then nudged him in the side. The Doctor glanced at him, but Nardole remained staring forward. He did wriggle his hand though. The Doctor reached up and took the item he was concealing in his grasp.   
It was an improvised emergency teleporter beacon, one that had been painstakingly attuned to the TARDIS’s signature.   
“I really am sorry Doctor. I don’t know what you can do, but I hope it works.” Nardole said, finally looking at him. The Doctor turned his head, just a fraction. Nardole couldn’t make out the look on his face, but there was a hope in his eyes along with all the other things he had been feeling, a mad hope. A dangerous hope.  
The Doctor nodded, which was more than what Nardole had been expecting. Then he pushed the button on the beacon. There was a flash of light. Then the Doctor was gone. Nardole looked at the suspension tube that still held Missy’s body. All around him the jump-soldiers were swarming, but he paid no attention to them. All he could think of was how much he hoped he’d get the chance to tell Bill she was right.

The alarms blared loudly, reaching out from every panel on the control console. Above, red lights flashed frantically. All around the room sparks while shooting out slightly and things were flying.  
Whatever was going on, the TARDIS didn’t like it, but there was little the thirteenth Doctor could do but hold on.  
As quickly as she could she rushed from one panel to another, hitting buttons and adjusting settings, trying to calm the panicking machine. She was throwing a massive fit, one the Doctor had rarely seen. Everything had been going perfectly. Together, the two had finally been able to zero in and follow the signal they had spent so long trying to find. Then everything had changed, as if an invisible shock wave had blown them out of orbit, though they had been in deep space when the event had taken place, and calling something invisible to the TARDIS’s wealth of sensors was in itself extraordinary. In the end it took her the best part of an hour to finally settle the machine down, but even then, the readouts on the displays made no sense. She doubled and tripled checked everything, but in the end, everything said the impossible was true. Slowly, and with her mind racing, the Doctor made her way to the doors of the TARDIS and pulled them open. She took a long look at the stars as she mulled over the truth that was now becoming even more self-evident.   
This wasn’t the same universe she had seen when she had last opened these doors.


End file.
